Sherlock and Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss, 47, is bracing himself for more fan mayhem with a new role as Tycho Nestoris in Game Of Thrones.

You are about to star as Tycho Nestoris in the new series of Game Of Thrones. Are you ready for the fan frenzy? I felt a bit overwhelmed by the response. When it was announced, people bombarded me with questions. I felt a bit of a fraud. Apparently, my character in the books actually comes in a lot later so it was a bit unusual that they brought it forward.

Does this mean you could return later? Apparently so! Iím expecting an almost inevitably violent death. Iím in one episode. I went over to Belfast and did the scene there.

Go on Ė let us in on the storyline. It was announced the day I got to Comic-Con, which was like dropping a grenade into a pond. I was genuinely sworn to secrecy so I kept schtum.
I have a lovely pair of clogs I can tell you about.

After Doctor Who and Sherlock, now this Ė you seem drawn to TV shows with cult fan bases? Itís an elaborate Venn diagram for my retirement.

Game Of Thrones has some very racy and often gay love scenes. If you return to the show, is *** and nudity something youíd be willing to do? Itís filled with the fittest men on television, so I wouldnít be averse to it. Itís very unlikely with my character, though. Heís a bit like John Major.

Have you ever been tempted to move to Hollywood? I really love LA Ė probably because Iíve never worked there. Iíve only gone there for fun. Itís a very lonely place if you are struggling to get into a pilot. I have a lot of friends who have pretty miserable times there. If someone asked me to go over and do something, Iíd be delighted if it was the right thing, but I think it is a young manís game.

Do you enjoy all the big dos like the Emmys? I first went 20 years ago. I was researching James Whale, a gay Englishman who directed the original Frankenstein. So my first experience of Hollywood was old Hollywood. I totally fell in love with it and it was exactly what I wanted it to be. It was like I was stepping into a silent movie. That never left me. Every time I go back, I remember the smell of the trees and the sunset. It was Hollywood as I always imagined it. Then you go over for things like the Emmys and they are so grandiose and extraordinary, you canít help but be swept along by them.

Youíre in a civil partnership with Ian Hallard. Is gay marriage an important issue for you? I remember demonstrating outside the Commons for an equal age of consent. Itís amazing how much has changed in 20 years but itís about one thing: equality before the law. No matter how people try to shave it, itís one rule for one and another for another. Everyone should have an equal right to marry and divorce.

The Winter Olympics highlights the issue of homophobia in Russia; is it a breeze coming out in Britain these days? I donít think we can ever generalise. When I was little, the poster for The London Lesbian & Gay Switchboard was in the background of a gay coupleís flat in a TV sitcom called Agony. That was done deliberately by Anna Raeburn, who was the co-writer, as a way of putting it on the telly. I rang it as a result. Itís always difficult, because itís an individual thing. Some people come out and have a marvellous experience and their family is supportive. Others have a terrible experience and their family kicks them out. You canít just broadly say that everything has changed. Thatís why itís vitally important that something like Switchboard exists....

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Sherlock and Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss, 47, is bracing himself for more fan mayhem with a new role as Tycho Nestoris in Game Of Thrones.You are about to star as Tycho Nestoris in the new series of...

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